When I taught Personal Training students about the circulatory system, I always make the analogy that the aorta is like the trunk of a tree, the arteries are like the branches and the capillaries are like the leaves on a tree.

The similarity is even more striking when you look at the respiratory system.

I love these images because they remind us that we are not separate from our environment but a small part of the a larger system.

There is an expectation for mass consumption: of food, booze and STUFF.

So I thought I’d present some alternatives.

Instead of starting 2018 feeling fat, broke and guilty about contributing to a future landfill, here’s a Gift Guide to giving Less Stuff, More Buff:

1. Give FOOOOOOOOOD!

I’ve mentioned before that I used to be a Personal Chef. For Christmas one year I made up huge batches of healthy soups and casseroles and marinated protein. I packaged them in individual servings, labeled them with reheating instructions and froze them.

When leaving for a holiday party, I’d grab one of each and make a pretty package with a bottle of wine.

You could get them a subscription to a music streaming service like Spotify (3 months of Premium costs $.99. Like, you don’t even have to freak that it’s in US dollars) or you could use Tapely to make your own custom ‘mixtape’ that your friend can access online anytime. Here’s a simple guide of how to do it.

Give fitness classes/horseback riding lessons/a race entry

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: social support is a strong predictor of being successful in reaching your exercise goals.

3. Give time:

The number one reason people say they don’t exercise is because they don’t have the time.

This would be the most appreciated present (and maybe the hardest to give).

How do you give time?

Babysitting!

Giving parents coupons for free babysitting is like gold.

(* IMPORTANT NOTE: there is a small risk that the parents will NOT use this time to exercise, but that’s a risk you’ll have to take.)

Help them with a project.

You know your friend who read The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up and keeps talking about how they are going to finally get rid of all their 90’s Spice Girl shoes and Wilson Philips CDs?

Tell them you are coming over with garbage bags (and a sweet Tapely mix featuring lots of Spice Girls and Wilson Philips.)

Shovel a neighbour’s walk/de-ice their car/ drag their compost bins to the curb

I’ve often lamented all the human energy that is wasted at the gym instead of working towards some greater good.

Can you imagine if someone gave you the gift of car scraping?

It might seem insignificant –

but I’m convinced that the first time you de-ice your neighbour’s car at 7am while they are warm and asleep, you have made a tiny step towards world peace (and oh look you also have toned tricep muscles no big deal).

So, what did I miss?

Can you think of any other ways to give Less Stuff, More Buff?

Which healthy gift idea are you going to steal?

Leave a comment below and let me know! (and share this post if you love the idea of giving less stuff!)